Northern Lights
by hmweasley
Summary: Alice is thrilled, if surprised, to receive a promotion, but she's quickly swamped with work. Frank decides she needs a break, and going to see the Northern Lights might be the just the thing she needs.


"I'm sorry, sir. Could you repeat that one more time, please?"

"I said that you received the promotion," her supervisor said with a smile. "Congratulations. You deserve it."

Alice blinked as she tried to process Auror Jenkins' words. It didn't feel real. Sure, she'd asked for the promotion, but she had thought getting it was a long shot. She almost hadn't had the confidence to ask.

"But it hasn't been that long since I completed training," she said. "Are you sure about this?"

Jenkins laughed, stepping around his desk and holding out his hand for her to shake. She took it, but her grip was limp from continued shock.

"Very sure. It was easily agreed upon in the meeting. You have a lot of potential, Alice, and we're looking forward to seeing how far you go on the force. By the time I retire, I fully expect you to be where I am now. Or maybe even higher."

Alice realized that her mouth was hanging open and snapped it shut.

"Thank you," she said. "I appreciate this. Believe me, I appreciate it a lot."

"No thanks needed. Just do a good job like we know that you will. That's all we ask of you. I guess it goes without saying that you'll have more responsibility in the future. Your workload will almost certainly be increasing, but I'm sure it won't be anything you can't handle."

"Of course," Alice said, a smile finally appearing on her lips. "I won't let you down, sir."

* * *

Within several months, Alice had more work than she had known one could have. Her desk was piled with a plethora papers, and she felt perpetually behind. That she enjoyed her work was the only thing saving her from pulling her hair out in frustration. Maybe the paperwork wasn't her favourite part of it, but if it was a requirement for her to do the rest of the work, she could handle it.

However much she loved it though, it was stressful, and her time at work was increasingly spent in a frenzy. She worked and worked, surprised when the evening rolled around and she hadn't made as much progress on anything as what she'd expected to.

When Frank entered her office one day, she offered him nothing more than a quick glance as she continued to add notes to a report of an arrest she'd help make that morning.

"What do you need?" she asked, using the same tone she used with anyone who dared interrupt the limited time she had at her desk.

"It's not what I need," he said, unperturbed as he perched himself on the side of her desk. "It's what _you_ need, and the answer is a break. You're killing yourself here, Alice."

She paused in her writing to glare at him, but it was useless. He moved closer to her on the desk. She could have reached out and touched him, but she didn't dare do that. There was too much to do for such distractions, and they had boundaries while they were at work. Alice was thinking those boundaries might need an upgrade if Frank was keen on interrupting her.

"I don't have time for a break," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Surely you can take one night off," he said. "When was the last time you didn't work overtime?"

He waited for her answer, but she didn't give him one as she scribbled on the report instead.

"Exactly," he said as if she'd given him the expected answer. "Guess what. Tonight the Aurora Borealis are supposed to be seen from northern Scotland. Alice, you know that seeing the Northern Lights is one of my dreams. Come with me."

Alice laid down her quill, her bottom lip protruding as she considered the offer. Frank really had been talking about seeing the Northern Lights since they were at school. She looked between him and the paperwork piled on her desk.

"One night," she said slowly, unable to stop herself from smiling when Frank cheered.

* * *

There was a chill in the air when they arrived on one of the Shetland Islands that made Alice shiver. She huddled closer to Frank as they walked to the best vantage point for seeing the lights.

"How did you find this place?" she asked.

Looking around, Alice saw no signs of human habitation. There was only nature and the ocean spread out before them. Frank laughed at her question, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"I have my ways," he said. "Come on. I've brought some things."

He pulled a small bag out of his robes. Reaching his arm inside, it went farther than it should have, hinting at an enlargement spell. Alice watched as he pulled out food and a bottle of what appeared to be campagne.

"I know you don't drink, so I brought some sparkling grape juice," he said, holding the bottle out to her.

She settled beside him on the blanket he'd laid out. The chill disappeared as they huddled together and laughed. When the Northern Lights began, they fell silent, and their food was left forgotten.

The lights were mesmerizing as they danced across the sky. Seeing them had been Frank's dream, but Alice found herself no less enamored with them. She wanted to sit and watch them forever. It was hard to believe this was a phenomenon that Muggles had an explanation for as opposed to being something magical. If she hadn't known the truth, she would have placed the cause on a very powerful witch or wizard.

"The universe is so big," Alice mused, only half thinking about her own words. "It makes the war feel insignificant and meaningless, doesn't it? There's so much else out there."

"Maybe the war is small in the grand scheme of the universe, but it's plenty significant to those of us living it."

Alice sighed and nodded, tilting her head back further to see more of the lights.

Frank's words were true, but sitting there under the fluorescent glow, it was easy to forget that she would go back to work the next day and continue fighting. The escape was nice while it lasted.

* * *

**Prompts:**

**Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

365 Prompts: promotion

Insane Prompts: plethora

Scavenger Hunt: Write for a pairing with less than 100 stories written on the database. (Frank/Alice have 85 when I'm posting this.)

Seasonal - Days of the Year: National Drink Wine Day - Write about someone who doesn't drink.

**The Golden Snitch**

Nautical Ship Challenge: Alice and Frank Longbottom - H.M.S. Aurora Borealis

Word count: 1,034


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